The Sleeping Dragon
by Orpah
Summary: Mongolia has been under Chinese control for about 200 years. It's time to end that relationship. The story of Mongolia's long journey to democracy, starting in about 1911.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Hetalia! end/AN/

China's visit was out of the blue; Mongolia had welcomed him into his ger, though he would have rather thrown him out.

"Aiya… it's just more and more with these people," China complained, throwing his hands up and making his sleeves flutter in the wind. He could still afford nice clothes, apparently, much finer than Mongolia's felt. It made Mongolia think back to the old days, when he was the one bedecked in finery.

"The barbarians?" To Mongolia, and the others in China's empire, it was a bit of joke by now that he'd called the Westerners barbarians in his communications with them.

He didn't take well to that. His face turned a bit red, and he frowned at Mongolia. "Yes, the Westerners. They only take and take, and never want to give. They look down on me, and lock me out of their houses. Yet they can come any time they want to!"

Mongolia only really knew Russia, out of the Westerners, and even him he didn't know too well. He watched China silently.

"It's rude, so rude! I'm only good enough to be a work animal for them. I am a great empire! Bigger than the most of them, in fact! It's so rude!" China apparently still couldn't get over how rude the Westerners were. He tucked his hands inside his sleeves

It had been a rough time for China. With the taking of territories (from Hong Kong to Macau to Shantung) and the imposition of treaties from the Western nations, there was little that China hadn't endured, it seemed. There was also very little he had been able to stop.

Mongolia looked at him in annoyance. The nation still wore the fat on his body like a grand robe compared to Mongolia himself. Mongolia had found himself having to take in his clothes considerably, tighten his belt.

"What are you here for?" he asked, taking a seat.

China didn't, choosing to loom over him. "I wanted to talk to you. I need more silver."

Mongolia's heart leapt in his throat, but he choked it down. Now was not the time to get frantic, even as his stomach turned over. "I don't have silver; you know what I've been paying you has been on loan."

"Well, you're going to have to get more loans, then. With the revolution and all, we don't have enough silver to run on; I have to make it up somewhere." China said this like it was a small matter, not one that wrenched Mongolia's livelihood away from him.

"I'd like to explain something to you." Mongolia stood, tucking his arms behind his back. "When you ask for silver, something I don't have, instead of animals, something I do have, for taxes, there's a problem. I have to go to you for a loan of silver. I cannot pay back that loan except in animals. And because of the high, high rates you charge me, I pay far more in animals for the silver than I would pay if I only had to pay in animals. Do you know what this means?"

"I can't help the price of silver, Mongolia," China shrugged, as though he had nothing to do with it.

"It means that my herds are shrinking and I am starving. Myself and my people are going through great hardship because of you; we need our animals. They are what we base our whole lives around. If you continue this way, we won't be able to live the way we always have; we may not, many of us, be able to live at all." Mongolia let out a deep, frustrated breath through his nose. China had to understand.

China nodded slowly. Then, he said something that shocked Mongolia. "This works out well for my plan."

Biting back anger, Mongolia said, as calmly as possible, "What plan is that?"

China looked him directly in the eyes, an insolent action if ever there was one. "I'm going to absorb you. There will be no more Mongols, only Chinese."

Mongolia had to sit down then. It wasn't unheard of to absorb another nation; it was known as assimilation among humans. When one group was forced to follow another group's customs, intermarry, and disappear. It felt like he was trying to swallow chalk. "You can't be serious."

"Why shouldn't I be? You've always been a thorn in my side," and here China coughed, sick, "Just like Tibet. Why shouldn't I try to gain complete control over your lands?"

Mongolia could feel it. His time as a nation would come to an end, after the hundreds of years he had lived. He would fade away, nothing to remember his great empire but the whispers in Europe and Asia, and then not even that. He would disappear. A sort of icy fear filled his veins; what happened after he disappeared? What would happen to his people?

It was the worst blow a nation could take, and China proposed to do it to him like it was sweeping dust under a rug.

"I will be moving many of my people into your lands- though, of course, they are technically my lands too. Once your people are Chinese, they will stand between myself and the invaders, protecting the main part of China." China sounded like he had this all planned out.

"I beg you," Mongolia said, startling China, "don't do this to me. Allow me to live out my life in the peace of my herds, and you won't hear even a voice raised against you again from me."

China shrugged, saying, "It's been decided. Your people are to become Chinese."

"China, allow me to live as I always have. I allowed you to keep your ways-"

"When you burned my cities? When you massacred Chinese? It's a little late for any apology for that, by the way," China sniffed, and he moved towards the doorway. "I'm having a barracks built; myself and my troops will stay in while we enact these new laws."

"China, please, don't do this." Mongolia's plea was ignored, as China stormed out.

There was little worse that could be done to a nation than to make him disappear. Mongolia's head dropped into his hands, and a whole body shudder went through him.

He was going to die.

/AN/ I thought this was a good start for a series on Mongolian history, starting at about 1911. He is technically a canon character, after all. And don't worry, I won't forget about Inhuman, any readers of that story. It's just a lot harder to update than most of the other stories.

Anyway, history time!

The Qing Empire was in a bad way before 1911. They'd lost wars and territory to many different countries, from Germany to Japan. Plus, with the South in rebellion, silver taxes weren't getting paid. Since Mongolia was owned by China at this point, they, as well as other territories, were forced to pay more taxes, and with silver. This was a departure from the norm, because originally the Mongolians were allowed to pay in animals, since that was all they had.

When silver became the requirement, Mongolians had to get loans of silver from Chinese merchants, who would charge them exorbitant rates, and then have them pay them with massive amounts of animals that would then be shipped off to China. As you can see, this was not a sustainable system. Mongolia was in a worse place than China proper.

On top of that, China had aims to assimilate Mongolia, by settling great amounts of Han Chinese as farmers in the area.

The Mongolians sent letters and pleas to the Qing government, asking to be allowed to continue in their ancient way of life, but they were ignored. There were troops installed so that the Mongolians would cooperate.

This did not turn out well for China, however...


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Hetalia! end/AN/

Mongolia had had enough. At least, that's what he'd repeated to himself, time and again, as China leaned over his shoulder and told him what to do. The nation was as controlling as could be expected since the rise of the Manchus.

"What are you doing over there? Don't go there." "You were once free, but now you are not. Stop looking at me like that." "I said stop looking at me like that!" "Everyone's against me, especially you! Come over here!"

China's fist, beckoning him to come closer that he might strike him and take out his stress, made Mongolia's brows come down in cool, angry expression.

The empire had been gradually behaving in a less and less coherent way. Now and then, he talked to himself, blaming this nation or that, or this group of people or that. His hands were shaking.

Mongolia knew then the that Qing dynasty was up. It was over. And he'd be damned if he was going to go down with it.

"No. Get out."

"What?" China looked at him, seeming shocked that he'd actually spoken.

"You heard me, glorious one," he said, sarcasm quite evident in his tone. He wasn't one to typically use sarcasm, but it seemed appropriate for the situation; he still bore a bruise or two from his other encounters with China. "Get out."

China didn't fight when he came over and grabbed his arms, which were enrobed in great sleeves, much fancier than Mongolia's whole set of clothes. He gaped, mouth opening and closing, as he said, "You can't do this. Mongolia will never be separate from China."

"It is now." Mongolia continued to march China out of his home.

"You can't expect to take Inner Mongolia with you- she's far more Chinese than Mongolian."

"I'll take whatever's mine," Mongolia said surely, frowning at China. He didn't know what he would do about Inner Mongolia. She was important to him in some ways, and not so important in others. She'd had the Mongolian presence diluted so much.

China stumbled a bit, but as they reached the edge of Mongolia's grazing grounds, he said, "This isn't over. Don't think I'll just allow this."

"I know you won't. But you can't keep my independence from me," Mongolia said simply. It was not a dramatic or bloody affair, and soon he walked away from China, turning his back on him.

"This isn't over!" China yelled after him, and Mongolia ignored him.

* * *

The Qing empire was nearly over. Manchuria was no longer the demon whispering in China's ear.

Perhaps she was not truly a demon, but Mongolia found her loathsome. He couldn't think of anyone he would rather trample with horses than Manchuria. And not in a sack, either, like an honorable person.

It was through her doings that he had ended up in the state he was today, her suggestions and demands on China.

And yet China had followed them through with such cold satisfaction, that it wasn't as though he could blame just Manchuria.

Mongolia was excited, however. His people had mobilized, warriors at every aimag; he'd even heard good things from Inner Mongolia.

She was at his side at that moment, murmuring, "You know it will be trouble. You know whoever rules China next will not let us go."

"Let them come," Mongolia said, patting the flank of his horse. "What do we have to lose? We lose our animals every day, and soon enough there would not have been enough to feed ourselves. China would rather see us starve that lose his precious silver."

She looked to Mongolia, saying, "I still don't see why you distrust him so much. It's Manchuria; things will be better under a new ruler."

"And what if they're not? This is our only chance, sister; don't let it slip by," Mongolia said, his black-brown eyes on his sister. He was worried she would give up; he was worried she would fall back into China's grip.

"I'm not letting it slip by; you know China won't let me go," she said, voice soft and eyes looking down towards the ground.

He seized her in a tight hug, promising, "I won't let him keep you; a united Mongolia, right?"

"Right," she sighed, and her arms wrapped back around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"I've sent a letter to Russia; we need guns, and good weapons, and military support. He'll want to help, with the concessions I've promised him," Mongolia said, voice stable. He let her go, and smiled over at her; it was only a shadow of the brilliant smile he'd had as a child conquering the world.

"I hope so," was all that Inner Mongolia said, softly again.

It was strange, because she was not normally so demure. He smiled at her again, saying, "It will work out. It has to."

Mongolia put it aside, figuring that at least for now they didn't have time to worry about it.

* * *

"He won't do it." Mongolia slumped down into a sitting position, putting a hand to his forehead.

Inner Mongolia let out an angry sigh. "It's no use! We will not get anywhere, stuck between that devil China and that barbarian Russia! We should give in; China's government is reforming, and we don't want to get stuck in that mess…"

Mongolia shook his head. "We have to try. We may never get another chance at this, do you understand that? We have to be independent, or who knows how much more tyranny we will have to endure."

"As your sister, I'm telling you it's hopeless. We will never be free."

"Russia sent a warning to China. A warning! Can you believe that?" Mongolia ignored what Inner Mongolia said, crossing his arms. "How can he expect a tyrant to listen to heed a warning?"

Inner Mongolia sighed. "It's just us, then."

"Yes." Mongolia stood up, saying, "China will be driven out, and there will be one Mongolian State."

A horse in the distance attracted their attention, and they looked up, only to see China.

China rode his horse up at a fast clip, and hopped down; he was not the horseman that either of them were, but he still knew how to ride a horse decently well. He looked sore as he came over, eyes blazing.

"Which one of you sent the letter to Russia? Which one?"

"Me," Mongolia was quick to say.

China's eyes looked like hot coals. "You had better apologize, and never talk to him again! I will not have this sort of rebellion in my house!"

Mongolia gritted his teeth, glaring straight at China. "I'm not going to apologize until you stop your plan to make me Chinese! To make us both disappear!"

"You will do as you're told!"

The stinging slap was hardly the worst pain that Mongolia had ever felt, but it still stunned him. He stared at China, feeling hatred fester in his stomach.

"China, there's no need for all of this," Inner Mongolia said, "Please remove the policies that have caused this problem. We can't live the way you're forcing us to."

"You must promise, no, you must swear, that you didn't write that letter, and that you will never write letters to Russia," China seethed, glaring at Mongolia. "Or I will keep you separate for the rest of your lives."

"I…" Mongolia swallowed thickly. He couldn't be separated from Inner Mongolia; they were like twins. "I promise. I swear it."

China sneered, as though seeing Mongolia bend to his request was some icky matter that he hadn't caused. "Good. You'd do well to remember it."

He left then, tossing his silky hair and wearing his expensive robes.

Hatred boiled in Mongolia's gut. He couldn't be stuck under such a toad much longer.

* * *

It didn't take long for all the provinces to turn on China. The Qing Empire was finally over, Manchuria fleeing to her rightful home. It was pure chaos.

That was the day that Mongolia and Inner Mongolia declared independence.

Every single Chinese thing they could find, they shipped back to China. There was no reason for excessive violence, as their Buddhist faith intervened in any feelings of hate towards China.

Only when the last markers had been sent, to be dumped at the border, did Mongolia feel his heart fill with hope.

This was only the beginning.

/AN/ History time! So, the 1911 revolution had most of Outer and Inner Mongolia involved, though the grip on Inner Mongolia was a lot more tenuous.

The leader at this point was a Buddhist man, the religious leader of the Mongolians. After they couldn't get help from Russia, and the Chinese cracked down on them for the letter, they decided to declare independence.

But the revolution was remarkably bloodless; due to the revolutions and problems going on in China, there was little that could be done to stop them. And the Chinese governors and such were peacefully escorted to the border except for one, who resisted and was defeated and then escorted to the border.


End file.
